> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.referly.so/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Pick winners

> See how affiliate contest winners are picked automatically at the end of each period, how cash and non-cash prizes are awarded, and where to view the winners.

You don't have to tally results or choose winners by hand. When a contest period ends, Referly picks the winners for you — it ranks everyone by the contest's metric, matches each top position to its prize, and awards it automatically. This page explains exactly how that works and what happens next.

## How winners are chosen

At the end of a contest period, Referly looks at the final standings for that period and awards each ranked position the prize you set for it:

* The affiliate in **1st** gets the 1st-place prize, **2nd** gets the second prize, and so on.
* **Only ranks with a prize win.** If you set prizes for the top three, the top three finishers win and everyone else simply took part.
* Each affiliate's score is measured **only over the contest period**, using the [ranking metric](/docs/help-center/gamify/leaderboards/criteria) you chose — so contest standings can look different from your all-time leaderboard.

This happens on its own, at the moment the period ends. There's nothing you need to press.

## When winners are picked

That timing follows the **winner frequency** you set when you [created the contest](/docs/help-center/gamify/contests/create):

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="At the end of the contest" icon="flag-checkered">
    A single set of winners is picked once, when the contest's end date passes. The contest is then marked **Completed**.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Daily, Weekly, Monthly, or Yearly" icon="arrows-rotate">
    Winners are picked at the end of every period. The same contest keeps crowning fresh winners each cycle until its final period, then it's marked **Completed**.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Note>
  Winners are only picked while a contest is **live**. If you pause a contest, results for that stretch wait until you resume it.
</Note>

## What winners receive

The prize each winner gets depends on how you set it up:

* **Cash prizes** are awarded **automatically as a bonus**. The amount lands in that affiliate's rewards like any other commission, so it flows into your normal payout process — no manual payment needed. You'll find it alongside your other [bonuses](/docs/help-center/manage/rewards/bonuses).
* **Non-cash prizes** are recorded against the winner with the description and any delivery note you added. Referly doesn't ship these for you — **you fulfill them**, using your deliverable note as a reminder.

Winning affiliates are notified with a celebration in their portal, so they know right away that they placed.

## View the winners

Open **Contests** from the left sidebar and select **View winners** on any contest to see who won, their winning position, the metric they hit, and the prize awarded. For a recurring contest, winners are grouped by period, so you can see each cycle's results.

<Note>
  Winners appear here once a contest period has ended and been finalized. Until then, the contest is still running and the list stays empty.
</Note>

## Related

<Columns cols={2}>
  <Card title="Create a contest" icon="plus" href="/docs/help-center/gamify/contests/create" arrow>
    Set the prizes and winner frequency winners are drawn from.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Contests overview" icon="trophy" href="/docs/help-center/gamify/contests/overview" arrow>
    How contests work from start to finish.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Managing bonuses" icon="gift" href="/docs/help-center/manage/rewards/bonuses" arrow>
    Where cash prizes show up as rewards.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Managing payouts" icon="money-check-dollar" href="/docs/help-center/manage/payouts/overview" arrow>
    How prize bonuses get paid out.
  </Card>
</Columns>